The Bracelet
by tdminor86
Summary: AU: Sam and Mercedes are total strangers but a simple gesture made by Sam connects them in a certain way.
1. A Simple Gesture

**AN: So I can't believe that I am going to start another fic, Lord please help me, but I wrote this for Samcedes week on Tumblr and had a few people request for more so I am sucker when it comes to pleasing my readers. This is AU and takes place in NYC. Hope you guys enjoy it and please review if it seems like a lot of people are interested in this I will continue.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show Glee or its characters, RM can take full responsibility for the disaster that has become.**

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Chapter 1: **A Simple Gesture**

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It started a month ago.

He was sitting alone at the center of the town square, his favorite place to clear his head and find some inspiration to draw, when he saw her for the first time. She was walking with two males who were holding hands and the paler one had his arm linked with hers. She had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Her skin was a lovely mocha tone and her hair was long, wavy, and shined just right as the sunlight hit it. Her body was pure perfection, from her plump, juicy lips, to her bountiful breasts, that bounced slightly as she took each step and her big, brown, doe eyes, which could make even the toughest man's heart melt. Her curvy hips and thick thighs swished as she walked down the sidewalk. Everything about this girl was amazing and he didn't know the first thing about her.

He couldn't help himself as his body slowly drifted in her direction. She was stopped at a street vender looking at a display of jewelry as he approached her side of the street. When he made it to where she was standing, he stood directly next to her and he fiddled with a charm bracelet pretending to be interested in buying it. He could smell her, a mixture of what he believed to be vanilla, and sweet pea, or was that lilies, either way his nose wouldn't be able to like anything else that didn't smell like her. He opted to speak to her when she glanced up at him but his words got caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat when she flashed that gorgeous smile just for him.

"It's pretty." She said nodding towards the bracelet Sam held in his hands. "You should get it."

Sam was taken aback by the sound of her voice. It wasn't too whiny or shrill, but sweet and soft, what he'd imagine an angel's to be like. He gestured for the vender to come over and he purchased it.

"Here you keep it." He said placing it on her tiny wrist. Her skin was soft and smooth like a baby's.

"You sure?" She asked surprised.

"Yes, it looks good on you." Sam said removing her hand from his and he already missed touching her.

"Thanks."

Before he could give her a response he heard one the males asked her if she was ready. She smiled softly at him before she turned and Sam watched her walk away.

After that she seemed to be the only thing he could draw. It wasn't like he didn't try to draw something else, he would always start off drawing other things but before he would finish he would find some way to add a indication of her to the portrait.

He was out playing football in the park with his best friends Mike and Finn when he saw her for the second time. She jogged right passed him with a pair of headphones in her ears as a golden retriever jogged right alongside of her. She paused for a second to take a sip from the water fountain. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and her face was free of makeup and she looked just as beautiful as the first time he saw her. Sam did notice that she was wearing the bracelet he had given to her and his heart warmed at the sight. Her dog barked up at her and she kneeled, rubbing his head and smiled sweetly at him. She stood up and their eyes met briefly. Sam scrunched his nose at her and she smiled shyly towards him before she continued on her jog, with the dog following close behind.

That night he dreamed of her. A replay of the morning's event only this time he managed to utter a few words to her. After his fourth run in with her the dreams became more and more vivid. She was on his mind constantly but he had yet to speak one word to her. One thing he always noticed was she always wore the bracelet. He wondered if she thought about him as much as he did her. He wanted to know if the reason she wore the bracelet was because she too, had become enamored with him. She became his mystery fixation without it being to creepy, but he was always too shy to ever speak to her again.

The fifth time he saw her she was with a male with a hideous Mohawk and tanned skin. He couldn't help the ping of jealousy that overtook him as he watched her walk hand in hand with him. Sam almost rejoiced as he saw she was still wearing his bracelet. The guy had to be her boyfriend but it didn't stop her from wearing it. To him the bracelet was her way of remembering the day they met and giving Sam hope that one day he could do more than just stare at the beautiful stranger. Sam scoffed as the guy unashamedly checked out a red head that walked in front of them and she began to question him about it. He watched as their discussion became more heated and he was tempted to go over to where they were arguing. A few seconds later, it ended with her in tears as she shoved him and left him standing in the middle of the street, looking embarrassed. Sam didn't know the guy but he felt a hatred for him and he wanted nothing more than to kick his ass for making her cry. That was the moment he decided the next time he saw her he would take a chance and speak to her.

He got his chance a week later when they ended up on the same bus. The problem was Mohawk jerkface was with her. Sam could smell her before she walked by and he closed his eyes as he took her scent in. She placed her hand on his shoulder when she passed him, giving it a soft, quick rub. He couldn't contain the smile that formed on his lips when he spotted the shiny, silver piece of jewelry on her wrist.

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**AN: So let me know in a review what you think. If you guys seem to like it then I will do more if not I will focused on the other stories that I have already written. I don't know how long of a fic this will be if I do continue it but it will most likely be no more than ten chapters. Thank you for reading and please review.**


	2. Beautiful Stranger

**AN: Wow! Thanks so much to everyone who read the first chapter and also to those who took the time to review as well. Thank you all those who added this to their favorites and all of the follows, I really do appreciate it. A few had asked for Mercedes POV for that first month, so this will be Mercedes heavy and what she was feeling. Thanks so much to my incredible Beta Rose, for making sure my words make sense. Here's chapter 2 I hope you enjoy it and please don't forget to leave a review, it helps to motivate my writing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the craziness that is Glee or its characters.**

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Chapter 2: **Beautiful Stranger.**

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Mercedes Janay Jones was a lot of things. She was a singer, dancer, volunteer, and a legal aid. Many people would say that she was entirely too busy, and didn't see how she ever had the time for a social life. For so long she was contented with the way her life was. She had a daily routine, and she stuck to it accordingly. She was not one for change and she certainly wasn't the type to take a risks, That was just the way she did things, until she met a beautiful stranger, who she didn't know was going to change her life in ways she never could have imagined.

"Law offices of Sylvester & Shue, this is Mercedes speaking how may I direct your call?" Mercedes said for the sixteenth time in one hour. "I'm sorry Mr. Shuester is out of the office at the moment may I take a message?" Today was one of those days. Mercedes knew it was going to be shitty from the moment she woke up. The first thing she was greeted with was the sight of her brand new pair of fluffy slippers shredded into pieces by her nuisance of a dog, Butterscotch. She loved him dearly, don't get her wrong but, this was the fifth pair she had purchased in the last two months. The thing that irritated her the most was the fact that she had bought him a small basket full of all the furry chew toys his little heart could handle, yet still he insisted on mangling her house shoes. The next thing that went wrong was out of all the days that the bus driver Rory, decided to be on time, she was running behind. She almost had to pull out a full on sprint to make it to the bus just as the doors were about to shut in her face. Now, she was trapped at the office because not only did she have a pile of paperwork and court documents stacked high on her desk, that needed sorted through, but Sue called her into her office to inform her that she had fired her new assistant Kitty, leaving Mercedes to do her job as well. She asked Sue if she was going to hire a temp to come but, she changed her mind when Sue offered her both her regular and Kitty's salary for the week.

After the fourth day in, Mercedes was deeply regretting her decision to be greedy. She had been working here for two years and it seem like this week was the first she noticed that the phone ranged every fucking five minutes! She had to cancel a couple of lunch dates with her boyfriend Noah, and he was pissed about that. Sue and Will had been tied up in meetings all week so she had to deal with anyone who walked in the office. She almost lost her religion four times, when a few people caught attitudes with her because she wouldn't put them through with Will or Sue.

By the time she made it home at the end of the week her feet and shoulders were killing her. She wanted more than anything to strip down to nothing and soaked for at least an hour in a nice hot bubble bath. But just like the rest of her week she didn't get her way, when she heard three very familiar knocks on her door.

"Unless you have a pint of Pralines and Cream ice cream with you I am not going to open this door." She said through the door.

"Of course I got it Mama." She heard her boyfriend say. Look through your peephole."

Mercedes stood on her tiptoes and saw the brown carton of her favorite ice cream he held up to the tiny hole. She gladly unlocked the door, grabbed it, and went straight to the kitchen to get a spoon.

"What no kiss?" Noah said shutting the door behind him as he walked inside.

"Sorry babe, I have had the worst week." Mercedes snatched the lid off the pint of ice cream and put a huge spoonful inside her mouth. She all but moaned as the cool treat coated her mouth. She walked over and plopped down on the couch next to Noah and leaned over and kissed him promptly on the lips. "Thanks so much, I needed this.'

"Anytime." He said as he began to massage her swollen feet.

"Sorry about ditching you during lunch, I was the only person there so I had to run the office alone."

"Yeah fifth time in two weeks, you have canceled on me. I hate your job, why don't you just quit already?"

Mercedes let out a sigh as she listened to Noah's weekly rant of why he doesn't like her job and why she should quit. Ever since they first started dating seven months ago, he was always very opinionated about his thoughts of what, when, where, why, and how she lived her life. If he had his way Mercedes would spend her days having hours of sex with him, stopping occasionally to cook him his favorite meal, and play video games. Noah was a good guy but his priorities were screwed up. As many times as he tried to get her to break her two month rule, she didn't budge. He told her he loved her on their third month anniversary, but Mercedes hadn't said it back yet. It wasn't that she didn't love him because she did, and she could see herself being with him for a long time if he got his act together. It was just that sometimes she found it difficult to take him seriously. Seven months she had been trying to change the self proclaim master of all things females, and seven months she had had very little results.

"I'm not quitting my job, Noah." She said.

"I know, I just like spending time with you, Mama." He said. "I miss you, and you are always busy so, I guess I get lonely."

"I miss you too, and I will try to make more time for you." She said kissing him deeply.

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She had plans with her friends Kurt and Blaine this weekend and she needed some friend time especially with the week she had. She was actually enjoying herself, four hours into her day of shopping with Kurt and Blaine and she hadn't had a thought of work or stress. Mercedes was grateful for Blaine's suggestion to go to the town square park and look around at the vender's circle. She wasn't there five minutes when she saw one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. She watched as he sat at a bench with a what look like a sketch pad and some drawing utensils.

"Good gracious I am surprised that he hasn't set that bench on fire sitting over there because he is one hot piece of man." Kurt said.

"Yes he is." Mercedes agreed.

"Since he is a very good looking man I am going to let that little comment you said earlier go." Blaine told his boyfriend.

"Well we can rule out him being gay because he is undressing Mercy in his mind right now."

"Stop Kurt, he is not!" Mercedes said with a huge smile.

"Well you can ask him yourself because he is coming this way as we speak." Blaine informed her and she became nervous.

"Quick pretend you are looking at something and Blaine and I will go over here." Kurt said pulling Blaine to the other side. "Oo... honey, look they have silk shawls."

Mercedes made herself look busy by fiddling around with a box of assorted charms for necklaces. As soon as he appeared next to her, she could smell his cologne. Damn he smells good. She thought. And he is far more sexy up close.

She watched as he obviously pretended to seem interested in a silver charm bracelet. She tried her best not to stare so she would take small peeks in his direction every few seconds. He had to workout, the way his muscles in his arm flexed and stretched the sleeve of his tee made her want to lick her lips and his arms in appreciation. She trailed her eyes along his tone body and she could tell he was definitely rocking some serious hardware by the not so hidden bulge in his cargo shorts. She couldn't help herself she had to glance up at him and he looked towards her at the same time. He had the biggest lips for a white boy she had ever seen, but damn if they didn't look down right kissable. He had the sexiest pair of green eyes that she had ever seen and she could see herself getting lost inside them. She waited patiently for him to say something but he didn't so she took matters in her own hands.

"It's pretty." She said nodding towards the bracelet he held in his hands. "You should get it."

He smiled at her and she felt the small flutter in her stomach grow. He was beautiful, and she could tell that he was a bit nervous as he gestured for the vender to come over so he could purchase it. Mercedes wasn't expecting what he did next.

"Here, you keep it." He said placing it on her wrist. His hands were a slight mixture between smooth and rough and it felt as if her wrist was on fire from his touch.

"You sure?" She asked surprised and when he fastened it she almost shuttered from him rubbing his thumb across her pulse point.

"Yes, it looks good on you." The beautiful stranger said removing his hand from hers and she hated him not touching her.

"Thanks." She said. It warmed her heart at the simple gesture.

He looked like he wanted to say something else but he was interrupted by Kurt calling her name and asking if she was ready. She smiled softly at him, and he smiled back as she hesitantly turned and walked away.

"He is looking at you walk away and the grin on his face is enormous, must have been some hell of a interaction." Kurt said as he looped his arm back in with hers. Mercedes never stopped smiling that day as her mind keep going back to the beautiful stranger she met.

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He was all she could think about. As much as she tried not to it was inevitable. Not only did she see his green eyes and gorgeous smile every time she closed her eyes, but she also had the bracelet to give her a constant reminder of him. She never took it off and she didn't know why. Unless she was bathing or washing dishes that bracelet was always connected to her wrist. Noah asked her about it a couple of times and she told him Kurt bought it for her and it has sentimental value. She knew that was a lie but Puck would have lost his shit if she would have told him that a beautiful stranger with smoldering jade eyes got it for her when she semi flirted with him. So for now he would have to accept that as the truth.

She saw him again a week later as she was going on her daily run with Butterscotch. He was playing basketball with some guys and and she purposely stopped at the water fountain for a drink even though she was nowhere near thirsty. She could feel him looking at her and the flutters returned. She had to look a hot mess to him, and even though he was sweaty and his shirt was drenched he looked even more sexier than before. She contemplated going over to say something to him, but what would she say. 'Hey thanks for the bracelet I never take it off. You are all I seem to think about, by the way, can I have your name.?' She thought to herself. 'No that's stupid.'

She heard Butterscotch bark up towards her. He was always anxious and impatient when it came to their runs. She got down on one knee, rubbing his head and smiled sweetly at him. She stood up and their eyes met briefly. He scrunched his nose at her and she smiled shyly towards him before she continued on her jog, with Butterscotch following close behind.

That night during her date with Noah, Mercedes couldn't seem to focus. Every few minutes her eyes would look down at the hardware on her wrist. She had to know his name and what he was all about. He was like a mystery to her that she desperately needed to solve. What was he like, where did he work, and did he have a girlfriend, and if so was she good to him? Of course he had to have a girlfriend as fine as he was. Although, several nights that week when he invaded her dreams she was the lucky woman that could claim him as hers.

The dream was always the same, they would be walking along Times Square, holding hands. He would smile up at her and tell her she was beautiful. Then a couple of seconds later he would leaned down and give her the most sweetest, gentle, kiss she had ever had in her 25 years of living. As soon as their lips would part he would whisper softly against them. "I love you, Mercedes." And that is where her dream would end.

"Helloooooo...earth to Mercedes." Noah said waving his hands in front of her face. "You ok, or am I boring you?" He said a bit irritated.

"Sorry it is just this big case coming up and it is starting to get to me." She lied.

"You promised no work talk tonight even though we are kinda at your second job."

Mercedes sang two nights a week at aJazz/R&B club called Art's Soul, which was owned by her high school buddy, Artie Abrams. Unlike her other job, Puck didn't have a problem going here with her. He would say because he loved to hear her sing but she knew good and damn well it was because he had a small thing for Artie's sister Sugar who was always there. Mercedes was no fool, she made sure to keep her eyes on the two of them at all times, and when she didn't, her friend, and the club's bartender Tina, had her back.

"Let's dance mama, I want to fell you sexy body all up against mine." Puck said taking a sip of his beer.

Mercedes agreed but soon regretted it. Half way through her dance she glanced up at her wrist which was behind Noah's head at the bracelet, and her thoughts went back to the mystery man. She had imagined that it was his chest that she was pressed against. She pictured that it was his strong arms that were wrapped around her waist holding her close. She really liked Noah, don't get her wrong, but it was something about that day at the vender and his touch that she couldn't let go of.

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Over the course of the next couple of weeks she saw him. She never had the opportunity to stop and talk to him because once, she was busy running errands for her job. The next time she was with Puck's sister and talking to another man wasn't the best thing for her to do at that time. He would always stare in her direction and she would stare back. She could tell in his eyes that he wanted to talk to her just like she wanted to talk to him as well.

The fifth time she had saw him she was with Noah. She quickly glanced his way and she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. She couldn't explain the way he made her feel. Puck was suppose to be taking her for a bite to eat on her lunch break but he had been in a huffy mood the whole time.

"What's wrong?" She asked him as she desperately tried not to look across the street at the blond watching her.

"Nothing I am tired of these drive by ass lunch breaks you keep giving me." He said.

She felt bad and was about to apologize, when she noticed a red haired girl walk in front of them and intentionally slow down once she passed Noah and smiled. She watched as Puck eyes followed her ass on the trip it took to get to her car. Did he just bite his lip?

"Really Puck!" She shouted. "I'm standing right here!"

"What?" He said like a kid getting caught by their parents.

"Unbelievable, you are going to act like you didn't just bite your lip as you stared at her ass. You jerk!"

"I just look, it's not like I fucked her, Merce!" He said running a hand down his Mohawk. "You have been zoning out on me and daydreaming all the time lately and the one time I do it I am a jerk. You are such a hypocrite."

"I'm a hypocrite! You know what Puck screw you."

"I would love it if you did, but apparently, you can't seem to get that right. I bet if I was your job or that damn dog I could get all the ass I want from you!" He retorted angrily.

Mercedes didn't know why but she was crying, his words had hurt. More than anything he was sitting over there and she was sure he was watching the whole thing transpire. She didn't want him to see her like this and she wasn't sure how long she had until she completely broke down, she had to get out of there.

"Go to hell Noah, I hate you!" Was all she could say before the tears started to pour down her face and she ran in the opposite direction away from Puck and her beautiful stranger.

Puck spent the whole week groveling and apologizing. She tried her best to ignore him and his constant calls and texts, but he was persistent. She had an apartment filled with flowers and bears and cards that read I'm sorry for being an ass. By the end of the week she had forgave and they had agreed to met up and go out the next day. Mercedes and Puck caught the bus from her house and when she stepped on her breath hitched at the sight of the bracelet giver. She shook her head at her misfortune. If she would have been stronger, and waited just one more day than she could have had this chance to actually talk to him. She could have done what she have been wanting to do since the first day they met, which was get to know and learn everything she could about him, but it was too late. She was back with Noah and even though she was plenty of things, a cheater she was not.

As she swiped her bus pass, she noticed him inhale and close his eyes. She was fighting an inner struggle to sit next to him but she chose not to. She had to touch him again even for a split second, so she did. As she passed by him, she placed her hand on his broad shoulder and rub it slightly. She made sure to let him know that she was wearing the bracelet he gave her and just like the day she met him she felt a flutter in her stomach when she touched him. Mercedes may have been sitting next to her boyfriend but there was no doubt that her mind was on the blond a few seats in front of her.

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**AN: So that was chapter two. I will not do the whole one chapter is Sam and the next is Mercedes thing. I just did this to give you guys an idea of what she was thinking during the whole time from chapter one. So tell me what you think of the chapter. Do you like Noah, do you think Mercedes may be emotionally cheating on Puck? Is there anything you guys might want to see happen in this fic? Let me know all this in a review. The story will pick up next chapter and who knows Samcedes may even speak to each other finally we will have to see. Till next time-tdminor86. **


	3. Mistaken Identity

**My heart and prayers goes out to all of those who lost their life in Sandy Hook and also to their loves ones as well.**

**AN: I know, I know, I suck for taking so long to update this but life was getting in the way. Thanks so much for all the reviews favorites and follows I received last chapter. I enjoyed reading what you guys are looking forward to seeing in this story and hopefully I will be able to add some of them into the mix. Thanks to Rose for taking time out of her busy schedule to beta this for me. What a lifesaver. Ok here's chapter 3 hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

Chapter 3: **Mistaken Identity**

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Mercedes hit the snooze button on her alarm clock for the second time since it first started blasting that obscene beeping noise a few minutes ago._ 'Last time,' _she thought to herself as she tried to catch a few more moments of sleep. She had just fallen back into a halfway sleep when she felt the left side of the bed shift. She ignored it. When she didn't respond she could feel something nudge at her side.

"Nmmmm!" She moaned into her pillow, but the nudging got more persistent. "Go away!" She protested but her protest was follow by three loud barks and paws pressed into her back.

"Fine Butterscotch, I'm up." She groaned rising up from her bed. She threw her pillow towards her nuisance of a dog and he jumped down off the bed missing the blow. She treaded slowly to her bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face, and get prepared for her day.

She made it to work with exactly six minutes to spare. The new secretary Harmony was already seated at her desk and shifting through files. Mercedes gave her a polite smile which she returned but Mercedes could see the fake in it. Harmony didn't like Mercedes and quite frankly Mercedes didn't fancy the girl either. She was ruthless and too much of a goody two shoes, ass kisser for Mercedes taste. She wanted Mercedes' position and she already had to warn her that she weren't the one to mess with.

"Sue wants to see you." She said, after Mercedes had made it inside her office and sat down.

"You wait till now to tell me, huh?" Mercedes said and received a shoulder shrug in response. "Such impeccable timing, Harmony."

Mercedes made the short trek to Sue's office with Harmony on her trail. She waited until the nosy young brunette took her seat before walking inside of her boss's office.

"You wanted to see me, Sue?" She said as she entered.

"No, is something wrong?" The gray haired female asked.

"Not that I know of... It's just that Harmony said you wanted to see me for something."

"Well you have been misinformed, Jones, sorry."

"My fault, I'm sorry to disturb you." Mercedes apologized as she walked out hearing Sue mutter something about incompetent people, and glared at the desk that Harmony was supposed to be sitting at. She went looking for the liar and wasn't at all surprised to see her in Will's office. Mercedes had suspicions of her relationship with Will but wasn't quite sure if they were true. She would often smell Will's cheap ass cologne on Harmony when they would have to work together. She stood back unseen, watching as Harmony was half seated on Will's desk with her skirt halfway up her leg and Will's crusty hand midway up her exposed thigh. Harmony's back was facing Mercedes and her body was blocking Will from seeing her. She waited till the right moment just as it looked as if Harmony was about to lean down and kiss him to loudly clear her throat. She had to bit her lip to keep from laughing at the way Harmony shot up off Will's desk and nearly fall flat on her face. Yeah, they were messing around; their matching beet red faces were more than enough proof.

"Merc...Mercedes...um...good morning." Will stuttered out trying to fix the not so hidden bulge in his pants.

"Will." She said sternly. "Harmony, the phones are just ringing and ringing and I am sure Sue wouldn't like it if you missed out on some potential clients because you were preoccupied."

"Yes, I don't think that would go over too well." Will agreed.

Harmony walked silently with her head down back towards the lobby trying to discreetly pull her skirt back down but failing. She didn't look up at Mercedes as she passed her by, but before she made it fully passed her, Mercedes whispered in her direction. "Lie to me again, and I'll snatch you bald." She could hear the gulp Harmony took as she sped towards her desk.

"Good day, Will." Mercedes said and left his office.

**_OOOOO_**

Mercedes had been in a good mood ever since she caught Harmony and Will this morning. It was now her lunch break and she decided to go to the hot dog vendor a few blocks away from her building. She had planned on calling Noah and asking him if he wanted to meet her there but she opted not to because she had just spent the whole weekend with him and they had plans later in the week anyway. She had just received her order and was heading to a bench to sit and enjoy it when she spotted_ him_ getting out of a car. It had been three weeks since she'd last seen him. She smiled his way but it instantly went away when she saw him go to the passenger side and help a beautiful blonde female out. He offered her his arm and she accepted it looping it with hers. Mercedes could feel her stomach become uneasy as she watched him strolled down the sidewalk and into an art studio with her. She didn't know why she felt jealous but she did. It's not like he was her boyfriend. He was sexy and charming and had sex eyes, so of course he was with someone. She shouldn't have thought for a moment that he wouldn't be and besides she was with Noah. All sorts of thoughts ran through her head and she was starting to get upset. She looked down at her wrist and sighed as she glanced at the bracelet he bought her. She felt stupid. How could something she received from a man whose name she didn't even know have such an effect on her? She stood up and handed her uneaten hotdog to a homeless man resting on the corner, seeing as now her appetite as well as all hope she had for her and her beautiful stranger was now nonexistent. She made her way back to her building wishing that the rest of the day would just hurry up and be over with.

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Sam had lost hope. He hadn't seen bracelet girl in three weeks. He would find himself looking for her everywhere that he went but she was nowhere to be found. He hadn't seen her at the park or on the bus. He was starting to think they she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. He even had a theory that she and mohawk jerkface had ran off and got married and was living in a whole other part of the state. He tried his best not to think of her, but he just couldn't seem to get her out of his thoughts. He tried to go on a few dates, none of which were successful or fun even. All of them seemed to be more interested in his looks or hooking up for a few quick lays but Sam was actually looking for something long term. He was never the type to just date for fun. He always wanted something more. The only good thing that seemed to be going his way was the selling of his art. He had made almost forty grand selling his work. A few of the pictures had been drawings that had involved or start with inspiration from mystery girl, and others had been things he had drawn years ago. His best friend suggested that he host a show displaying some of his work to see if he could get local businesses and companies to buy some of his work and display it in their buildings. He had been fortunate enough to find a space quickly to hold his show and today he and his friend made plans to go and meet with the planner.

"The space is bigger than I remembered." Sam said as they walked inside of the building.

"That's because last time we were here it was cluttered with a bunch of things. They have cleaned it out and painted the walls white. Of course it is going to look bigger." Said the female who accompanied him. "Use your brain, Samuel..." She trailed off.

"Don't be a rude ass, Quinn."

Sam had known Quinn Fabray since high school and the two of them formed a fast friendship when Sam moved to William McKinley high his freshman year. She helped him become a part of the popular crowd and he helped her keep her secret obsession and lifestyle a secret from her parents.

"What?" She said playing innocent. "I was just trying to state the simple truth. What time is this planner supposed to be here anyway? I have an important meeting to be at in an hour."

"I don't know, fifteen minutes." Sam responded taking in the place. "I wanted us to come early so I could get the feel on the place."

"Ahh that's right you have to do your whole Zen bit." She frowned. "I forgot how much of an artsy weirdo you are."

"You love it." He smiled.

"True." She said returning his smile. "So...speaking of love, I met someone."

"Really? How long is this one going to be around, 1, 2 months?"

"Shut up! I do not only date people for one or two months."

"Yes you do! You hate being in a relationship for longer than that, if you do, it's only cause the sex is good. You can't commit and you know it."

"That's not true." She countered.

"Yes it is. Let's see shall we, how long did you date Heather? Five weeks."

"She had daddy issues!"

"Ok, Nina?"

"She was still halfway in the closet. Ain't nobody got time for that."

"What happened to that last girl you was dating? What was her name, Robin, Reesie, Rachet?"

"Rachel?"

"Yes! Her?"

"Oh please, that girl was crazy. She followed me everywhere and she was way too clingy. Plus if I had to hear her whale calling at one more damn off Broadway play, I would've pull all my damn hair out and went back to being strictly dickly."

"She was a little bit too much and she dressed like a twelve year old." Sam told her. "I still proved my point; you haven't had a long relationship since I have known you."

"Well this time it is different. I really like her." She replied. "She makes me laugh, she is sexy, and she is adorably sweet."

"What's her name?" Sam asked as he watched his friend get lost in her thoughts over her new girlfriend. This was actually a good sign because she never got dreamy eyed over her past lady friends.

"I don't want to tell you. I just don't want to jinx it by talking too much about her. Maybe you could go with me this weekend to where she works and meet her then. I'm nervous about this. I've never felt this way about someone before." She admitted.

"Sounds like you really care about her. Sure, I don't have anything planned so yeah, I'll go with you."

"Thanks Samuel, enough about me and my love life what's up with yours?" She asked changing the subject.

"Nothing, I went on a few dates and that's about it. I really didn't click with any of them." Sam said shrugging his shoulders.

"I see. Maybe I can ask my friend if she has any single straight female friends for you."

"No, Quinn, I don't need a hook up. Besides, I met someone I like."

"Did you now?" She said with her eyebrow raised. "Tell me something; which one is she, married, dating someone, or thousands of miles away from New York?"

"What? Why would she be one of those things?" Sam asked confused.

"Because you only lust after women you can't really have." She responded.

"No I don't." Sam scoffed.

"Yes you do. All of your previous relationships started with a girl who had another boyfriend or married and left them for you and it ended bad. Or with her moving across the country and ended badly."

"You have no idea what you are talking about."

"Ok, Sam's romance evaluation time. Let's start with Holly, married, left her husband Carl for you, and five months later when she refused to sign the divorce papers she went back to her husband and you were sad and heartbroken."

"That's just one."

"Marley Rose, sweet girl, she broke up with her boyfriend Ryder for you. You guys didn't even last a full month before she ran off and eloped with Ryder."

"You're trying to make me sound like some home-wrecker."

"Not at all, home-wrecker you are not. You befriend these girls and make them feel better when their relationships turn crappy being the supportive best friend, and they see you as the hero and then they date you. They don't really love you Sam. You on the other hand, you fall hard for every girl you date."

"Whatever." Sam said and began walking away.

"Hold up don't walk away!" Quinn exclaimed chasing after him. "Let's not forget my absolute favorite one of them all! Amber, I actually loved this girl. She was funny and sexy, she had a banging body, and she was way different than the other girls at our school. When she and her boyfriend Shane broke up you scooped in like a hawk on its prey. She said yes to being your girlfriend and you were the happiest I had ever seen you."

"Don't go there Quinn." Sam warned coldly.

"Oh no I am going there. You guys dated for two years, you even put her name in lights. Her senior year rolls around and you start getting all sad because she was graduating and you still had one more year left."

"Quinn, stop."

"You put that video of her up on YouTube and helped her get signed and what did you do? When she left for LA you dumped her, because you wanted her to have the best experience in LA. You crushed that girl. Then you did the unthinkable by trying to replace her with Brittany."

"Hey, there was nothing wrong with Brittany, she was fun."

"Fun, Sam? That girl was touched. Touched by plenty of angels." Sam gave her a oblivious look. "She thought Santa was still real! C'mon! She ate cheerios off of that dusty ass school floor. Then you had the audacity to think that what the two of you had was real. That girl was gay and Sam you still had Amber's photos in your locker and as your screensaver."

"She was bi-curious and they were really good pictures."

"She was special, that's what she was, and you were still in love with Amber. You pretended to be this dumb jock just to appease to her. That's besides the point, after you finally came to your senses it was too late. Amber had already moved on and confirmed her relationship with that fine ass, big lipped, white boy from that god awful high school singing show that got cancelled."

"Glee." Sam answered.

"What?"

"The show was called Glee and the guy's name was Chord Overstreet."

"Glee, Flee, Blee, whatever the hell it was named. It should have been called SUCK, cause that's what it did and that's exactly why that craptastic ass show got cancelled." She replied.

"I don't know this girl that well. I mean I met her once and bought her a bracelet. I see her around town and we have a connection, at least I think we do."

"What's her name?"

"I...um...don't know." Sam confessed.

"Wait? How do you not know her name?"

"We didn't exactly have time to exchange names."

"But you bought her a bracelet; you sure know how to pick them. She sounds like a keeper, Sam." Quinn joked. "I'll pray that you find your mystery girl."

Ten minutes later the planner arrived and the three of them sat down and began to plan Sam's art show. He was pretty pleased with what they had come up with and was excited to see it come to life. The whole week he had been thinking about what Quinn had said about him going after unattainable women. Did he really have some sort of hero complex? He tried to think it was different with bracelet girl because he had like her before he found out she had a boyfriend, but knowing that she did didn't stop him from wanting her. A lot was on his mind and by Friday night, he was more convinced that Quinn was right. He made the decision that tonight he would give Quinn the okay to hook him up. Quinn asked him to meet her at the spot where her date worked just in case things went well tonight and she ended up going home with her. Sam looked at the address and opted to drive instead of taking the bus. When he arrived he saw Quinn already standing outside waiting for him. He chuckled lightly at the way she was dressed, to himself as he approached her.

"Hey Que. This must be some special girl, for you to pull out all your tricks." Sam said eyeing her short skin tight black dress.

"She is." She replied and led him inside. The two of them found their reserved table and sat down. Sam looked around his surroundings and felt a bit under dressed. Quinn wouldn't tell him what type of place they were headed to, so he dressed casually in some dark jeans, a white fitted tee, a black blazer and some chucks. They sat for about five minutes before a cute Asian girl with black hair and blue streaks, came to their table with a beer in one hand and a martini in the other. She set the drinks down and leaned in and gave Quinn a not so PG kiss on the lips. Once breathing became a factor, she turned to Sam and extended her arm out to him.

"Hi, I'm Tina. You must be Sam.

* * *

Mercedes paced back and forth backstage. It was ten minutes till show time. She wasn't nervous, but anxious for some odd reason. She couldn't wait to sing this evening. Singing was the one thing besides ice cream, and Butterscotch that calmed her nerves and put her in a better mood. Her week wasn't the greatest and as much as she tried to say seeing her mystery guy with the blonde had nothing to do with it she knew it wasn't true. She couldn't quite grasp why she was so bothered by it. He wasn't hers, she had no claim over him but it ate her up inside to know that he had a girlfriend. What was crazier was, even though she was frustrated and upset about the situation she still couldn't bring herself to stop wearing that stupid bracelet. That may have been part of the problem. Every time she would look or glance at it, she was reminded of him and the cute girl he was with or _blonde bimbo_ as she had been calling her for the past couple of days.

She confided in Tina about her situation. There was no way she could tell Kurt because he would judge the hell out of her for stressing over some unknown man no matter how fine he thought he was. Tina always gave it to Mercedes straight up and she was a pretty good listener. She spoke with her early on in the week, and Tina first called her out on her emotionally cheating on Noah, no matter how much she disliked the guy, she still thought it was messy. She then advised Mercedes to reevaluate her relationship with Puck. She told her that if some mystery guy whose name she didn't even know was affecting her this way then maybe she and Puck aren't as serious as she thought them to be. Mercedes tried to deny it but as the days went by she knew that there was some truth to what Tina was saying. But could she really just end things with Puck like that? He had been the only guy she had dated since her failed engagement to her high school sweetheart, Kevin. He was familiar, he had become a part of her normal routine and she hated change, or trying new things. She always stuck to what she knew and Noah Puckerman was known to her. She knew what to expect and what not to and it would be hard for her to break out of her habit of sticking to certain things and doing them a certain way.

"Five minutes, Miss Jones." A stage hand informed her. She told her thanks and peaked through the curtains to see if Puck had arrived and also to find Tina's new boo. She told her she met some girl, and had invited her here tonight.

When she scanned the crowd she didn't see Puck seated at their table. She shot a quick look to were Artie and Sugar where usually at to see if he had been over there but he wasn't there either. Giving up she decided to look for Tina and her new friend. It wouldn't be hard to spot them seeing as if Tina was the only person she knew who had electric blue highlights. She scanned the area and spotted her sitting next to and chatting with a blonde girl who looked vaguely familiar. She approved, she was very pretty and she could tell by the way they were staring intensely at each other that they were into each other. Just as she was about to look away she saw someone sit down at their table. Mercedes had to do a double take because right there in the flesh was her mystery guy. No wonder the blonde looked familiar, she was the woman that he was with last time she saw him.

"No fucking way." Mercedes said aloud. "She was gay." Mercedes didn't know why but knowing that little bit of information made her smile. She had felt a thousand times better now than she did earlier in the week. Seeing him there in the club had made her heart flutter and he was looking pretty damn good.

"Ready, Mercy J?" Someone spoke from behind her breaking her from her thoughts. She turned to see Jacob or Jake as they called him. He was one of the musicians who played while she sang.

"Jake! Boy you scared the devil out of me." She said grabbing her chest.

"Sorry."

"I need a huge favor and we don't have a lot of time to do it."

"Ok."

"I need to change the song I am singing."

"What! We go on in three minutes and you want to change the song? That's crazy we can't do that." He exclaimed.

"Yes we can, it's a song we've rehearse plenty of times we just never performed it. I need you to go tell the band please?" She said giving him her best puppy dog look.

"Ugh! Fine, but you owe me a drink." He said giving in.

"I'll make it three."

"Deal, now what song are we doing crazy lady?"

Mercedes told Jake the song and ran through the lyrics as fast as she could, trying her best not to get too nervous. She hoped he would remember and recognized her. She took a deep breath and look down the stage at Jake who gave her the thumbs up letting her know that everything was in place.

"Ok, here goes nothing." She said to herself as she waited for Artie to introduce her.

* * *

**AN: So what did you think? Do you guys like the idea of Quinntina? Yay or Nay? What song do you think Mercedes is going to sing to Sam? Let me know in a review please? I promise I won't make you wait two more months for an update. I will try to have one next week or sooner. Also Jake's last name in this is Artist like his real name, so no, he and Puck aren't related. Thanks again for reading. Till next time-tdminor86**

**PS: Don't forget if you have the time to vote for Samcedes as top young couple of the year at Portrait magazine dot net so they can get the cover. You can vote as often and as many times as you see fit. Thanks.**

**Next chapter: Puck and Mercedes have a talk about their relationship. Sam and Mercedes finally meet and get to know each other better.**


	4. Hello and See You Around

**AN: So I'm back again with an update. I had half of this written already. Thanks to all of the reviews, favorites, and follows from the last chapter I appreciated it. Here's chapter four enjoy and please don't forget to review because they motivate me to write more since there is no Samcedes on the show right now. Please forgive any mistakes you may see.**

**Disclamer: I do not own Glee or its characters or the song used in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Four: **Hello and See You Around.**

Sam liked Tina. She seemed like everything Quinn described her to be. She was different from all of the other girls that Quinn had dated and he was happy that Quinn had found her. He did however start to feel like somewhat of a third wheel though. It wasn't that they weren't talking to him but the way that the two girls were touching and eye fucking each other at the table made him a little bit uncomfortable. He excused himself from the table to go to the bathroom. He took his time coming back to give them a little alone time. He walked around Art's Soul checking out some of the females who were there. He didn't see anyone who had caught his eye. One girl came up to him and he thought maybe he could hit it off with her, but when she tried to kiss him two minutes into their conversation he quickly dismissed her. Having no luck he made his way back over to the table. The girls greeted him as he sat down and Tina informed the two of them that her bestie was about to perform and to be prepared to be amazed. A few moments later he saw a skinny dude with glasses and short brown hair appear on stage. He introduced himself as Artie the owner of the place and wished everyone a good time. Sam took a sip of his beer as he heard Artie welcome tonight's singer Mercy J. to the stage. Sam applauded along with everyone else and almost choked on his beer when he saw his mystery girl walk out on stage. She gave Artie a quick hug and made her way to the mic.

"Unbelievable." Sam said and stood up without realizing it. He didn't hear Quinn call his name or the weird look she had given him. He didn't see anything but her. She was more beautiful than all the other times he had seen her. Her dress was a deep royal blue that had a neckline that made him bite his lip in appreciation. Her heels were tall and black and made her legs look long and slender. She was sexy as hell, and he could feel himself getting a bit too excited. Suddenly her voice filled the club and he swear she was looking dead at him when she spoke.

"Hello, this song I'm about to sing is for a special someone."

Jacob started playing a song on the piano and she began to sing.

**Baby, baby, baby**

**From the day I saw you**

**I really really want to catch your eye**

**There's something special 'bout you**

**I must really like you**

**Cause not a lotta guys are worth my time**

_(Mercedes stared directly at Sam as she poured her heart out to him through song.)_

**Ooo baby, baby, baby**

**It's gettin kind of crazy**

**Cause you are takin over my mind**

**And it feels like oooooo**

**But you don't know my name**

**And I swear it feels like ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

**You don't know my name**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know)**

_(Sam was lost in her. Her voice was beautiful, intoxicating, soulful, and sexy. If he thought he was infatuated with her before, he was so far gone now.)_

**Oh baby baby baby**

**I see us on our first date**

**You're doin everything that makes me smile**

**And when we had our first kiss**

**It happened on a Thursday**

**Ooooo it set my soul on fire**

**Ooo baby baby baby**

**I can't wait for the first time**

**My imagination's runnin wild**

_(Mercedes couldn't take her eyes off of him. She wanted him to know that she was singing this song for him and him only. She knew she should have looked away but in that moment she really didn't give a damn.)_

**It feels like ooooo**

**You don't know my name**

**And I swear it baby, it feels like oooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

**You don't know my name**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know)**

**"I'm sayin, he don't even know what he's doin' to me**

**Got me feelin' all crazy inside**

**I'm feelin like"**

**Owww! Ooooo Oooooo**

**Doin more than I've ever done for anyone's attention**

**Take notice of what's in front of you**

**Cause did I mention you're 'bout to miss a good thing**

**And you'll never know how good it feels to have all of my affection**

**And you'll never get a chance to experience my lovin'**

**Cause my lovin' feels like ooooooo**

**You don't know my name**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know**

**And I swear it feels like oooo ooooo ooooo ooooo**

**You don't know my name**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know)**

**Ohhh**

**Will you ever know it, no no no no no**

**Will you ever know it?**

_(Sam slowly began to sway to the music and the sound of her voice and he noticed that she began to do the same. It was like the two of them were dancing.)_

**And it feels like oooo**

**You don't know my name**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know)**

**Baby Baby I swear it's like oooooo**

**You don't know my name, no no no**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know)**

**And it feels like oooo**

**You don't know my name**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know)**

**And I swear on my mother and father it feels like **

**Oooo ooo oooo ooo ooo ooo**

**Oooo ooo oooo ooo ooo ooo**

**Oooo ooo oooo ooo ooo ooo**

**You don't know my name**

**(round and round and round we go, will you ever know?)**

Once the song was over they just stood there staring at each other like the club was empty and they were the only two people standing there. Sam's heart was beating so fast he could barely breathe. He wanted to walk up to the stage and kiss her, he could feel his feet move but he was quickly ripped out of his thoughts when Quinn had snatched him back down in his seat at the same time the crowd started to whoop and holler in praise for her performance. He watched as the piano player pulled her lightly back stage after she took a small bow. Their eyes were locked on each other until she disappeared backstage.

"What the hell was that?!" Quinn asked as Sam plopped down in his seat.

"It's her." Sam spoke barely above a whisper.

"Come again?"

"The girl I was telling you about, the one I met once but seen all over town."

"Picture me confused Sam."

"Mystery bracelet girl!" Sam proclaimed.

"Holy shit!" Both Sam and Quinn's head turned swiftly towards the other person sitting at the table.

"Tina? What's up?" Quinn inquired.

"You're her mystery guy. I can't believe this. It's a small, small, world. But wait, she said she saw you Monday with some blonde going into an art gallery? I thought you said he was single?"

"He is, that was me."

"Ohhhhhh, so it all makes sense now. So you're the blonde bimbo." Tina expressed putting two and two together but earning a what the hell look from Quinn. "Sorry babe, it's just she saw you two together and was upset. She thought you were a couple and she may or may not have called you a blonde bimbo out of anger and jealousy."

"Oh." Quinn said feeling better about the situation.

"She was jealous?" Sam asked.

"I said that out loud? She is going to kill me! I have a bad case of blabbing things at the wrong time. Oh what the hell, yes she was mad jealous. It fucked up her whole week. Wanna talk to her, I can get you backstage?" Tina quipped.

"Yes!" Sam answered without hesitating.

Mercedes was elated. She was still buzzing from her impromptu performance. She had no doubt in her mind that he knew she was singing to him. She had no regrets, none whatsoever, but she did feel a tiny bit guilty that she sang a love song to a man who wasn't her boyfriend. The crowd seemed to love it and she received tons of praise from her bandmates and Artie once she was backstage. It would be thirty minutes to an hour till she sang again and she was thinking of ways to accidentally bump into him. She could continue on her bold streak and just walk right up to his table and speak to him but she didn't want to seem any more desperate than she already looked. She heard two knocks on her dressing room door and said come in without thinking. She was too busy trying to put a plan together to speak to her mystery guy that she didn't see Sam walk in and stand behind her. She figured it was Sugar with her nightly cup of tea and when she heard the door close soon after it opened without someone speaking, she assumed her theory was right. A few seconds had passed and she made up her mind that she would grab the bull by the horns and just walk up to him. She turned around promptly and ran dead smacked into a hard chest and a pair of warm arms that wrapped around her. Her eyes slowly traveled up till they met with those same gorgeous green eyes that had been taking over her thoughts and dreams for two months now.

"Hi." Sam spoke first. _Damn she's so soft. _Sam thought.

"Hey." Mercedes gave him a breathy reply. _Of course he would smell good. _She thought to herself.

"I'm Sam. Sam Evans."

"Mercedes, Mercedes Jones."

"It's so good to finally put a name to the face, and it's a beautiful name just like its owner."

"Yes it is. I mean thank you." Mercedes said and shyly looked down. She notice for the first time that her hands were still lying flat against his chest and his arms were still wrapped around her midsection. Sam, reading her thoughts regretfully released his grasp on her.

"Sorry about that." He said, already missing her touch. "Your voice is amazing."

"Thank you."

"I haven't seen you in a while."

"I was starting to think maybe you had moved on me." She said looking down.

"No, I guess we just both have been busy." He said and remembered his insane theories, he shot a glance at her left hand and smiled when he noticed no ring. He glanced toward her right arm and smiled even more when he saw the bracelet he gave her.

"I can't seem to take it off."

"I'm sorry is it stuck?" Sam asked oblivious. "I thought it fitted perfectly."

Mercedes chuckled at the concerned look on his face. He was so adorable. "No! Not like that. I mean I wear it all the time because I don't want to take it off."

"Oh, and now I feel like a dummy." Sam laughed. He flew his hand over and behind his head. "I totally missed that."

"Yeah you kinda did." She laughed with him. "I uh..." She began but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Puck's here and he's looking for you." Tina said entering without permission. "Sorry Sam, time's up."

"Crap, look I am having an art show and I was wondering if you would..." He started.

"Yes!" Mercedes answered without letting him finish. "Just give Tina the info." She smiled.

"Ok, great let's move it buddy." Tina said rushing him towards the door.

"Thanks for the song Mercedes." He said walking away.

"Thanks for the bracelet Sam." She waved, watching him leave her dressing room.

They smiled once more at each other before Tina yanked him out of sight and down the hall.

Sam watched Mercedes the entire night. He watched as she laughed, joked, smiled, danced, and talked with all her friends including _him_. He enjoyed the site of her interacting with her friends. The way she would light up whenever she was conversing with someone made him smile. He was trying hard not to stare but it was damn near impossible. He took this opportunity and observed the way she was around her boyfriend who he now knew was named Puck. It didn't matter to him because he was still Mohawk Jerkface. He watched them together and as far as he could tell, it wasn't love. He could see there was some type of feelings there, but it wasn't deep. It couldn't have been, especially since she spent half her time stealing shy and sweet glances with him. Sam also notice that Puck was checking out half of the scantily clad women who would walk his way. Something else Sam noticed was the way her boyfriend would react whenever ever a certain girl who Tina called Sugar would come around. He seemed far too interested in her to be dating someone else. There was something definitely present between those two and Sam wondered exactly what it was.

* * *

Mercedes tapped her fingers against her coffee cup nervously. She showed up at the coffee shop 40 minutes early. She needed time to think, think about what she was about to do. She spent the last five days going through her plan of action. She wanted to make sure she was doing the right thing for her and everyone that was involved. It didn't take long to come up with her decision after she thought back to what happened at Art's the other night. She switched her whole set list for a man whose name she didn't even know. She then spent countless amounts of time staring at said man while she danced in the arms of her boyfriend. Arms, that felt foreign to her now because they didn't feel as good as those 20 to 30 seconds of being in Sam's arms did. She tried to concentrate on Noah, she really did, and Sam didn't help her case not one damn bit. She cursed him all night cause his piercing green hues demanded her attention. She looked away but seconds later she was searching for them again and she didn't have to look far because they were always on her. What was even worse was she spent the last couple of days counting down the days till she knew she would see him again. His art show was this Friday evening and she couldn't keep her excitement down. She had just taken another sip of her drink when the bell of the door rang and she looked up to see Noah walk in.

"Hey Mama," he said kissing her on the cheek. "Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just got here minute ago." She lied.

"Okay good. So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Are you happy?" She asked.

"Happy?"

"Like with us, our relationship?" She stared at him as he thought about his answer.

"Sure." He replied moments later and she knew there was a lingering 'but' next to his answer.

"No you aren't. If you were it wouldn't have taken you so long to answer."

"What?" He asked confused.

"You had to think about it. If you were truly happy, you would have answered right away."

"I am happy, it's just…" he contemplated finishing.

"It's just what?"

"Sometimes, I feel like things aren't quite like they were when we first started dating."

"Why's that?"

"We barely talk anymore, I feel like your job takes up more of your time than anything. If I am honest, I feel like I am more of your friend lately than a boyfriend."

"I have never wanted you to feel that way. I think we may have lost what we had all those months ago when we first met." She told him "I wanted us to work out Noah."

"I don't think you mean that." He confessed.

"You don't?" She was the one who was confused now.

"If you did then why haven't you told me you love me back yet?" He inquired.

She was silent. She didn't really know how to explain this to him. She knew he would bring this up eventually and she had always said she would tell him that she didn't want to seem pressured into saying it. However, she didn't want to use that excuse right in this moment. She felt he at least deserve the truth.

"I didn't say it because I didn't want it to be a lie." She admitted.

"I see." He said a bit harshly. "So you never loved me? The entire time we were together you didn't feel anything for me?"

"I didn't say that."

"You might as well have. I should've known. I feel stupid. The whole time it seem like you were only with me for the sex. Is that all I was to you just a good dick!"

"Is that what you think? We didn't have sex that much, so please don't flatter yourself. I was with you because I thought you were someone I could see myself falling in love with. If it was just about the sex, then I wouldn't have made you wait three months before we slept together for the first time."

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I guess hearing you say you didn't love me hurt a little. So what now?"

Mercedes didn't think she would cry but she could feel a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I don't want to say it." She said sadly.

"I think you have to." Noah responded swiping her tears away.

"Can we still be friends?" She asked him hopefully.

"You bet."

Mercedes took a deep breath and grabbed Noah's hands in hers. "I don't think this is going to work out Noah."

"Ok." He said simply.

"I'm sorry."

"So am I mama, but we had a hell of a good time huh?" He joked.

"Yeah we did." She smiled.

The two of them stood and gave each other a small embrace. Noah hugged her tight to him and kissed her forehead gently before letting her go. "See you around Mercedes."

"Yeah I'll see you around Noah." She said and watched him walk out of the coffee shop.

* * *

**AN: What did you think? Did you like the song choice and Samcedes first real conversation? Let me know what you thought of the chapter in a review. Till next time-tdminor86**

**The song was ****Alicia Keys' **You Don't Know My Name.


	5. First Impressions

**AN: Thanks to all of the favorites, follows, and reviews I received last chapter. The Bracelet reached 100 reviews so yay! Thanks so much for the continued support. I have really been feeling uninspired lately due to some nasty reviews and hateful words I have been receiving. I won't lie it was hurtful and I decided to quit writing but a lot of people reminded me that I write for those who enjoy my work and quitting wasn't going to solve anything. So I dedicate this chapter to each and every one of my readers who has supported any story I have ever written. Thank you. So here is chapter 5 I hope you enjoy it. Please don't forget to review it is my motivation to write since there is no Samcedes on the show, and please forget any mistakes you may see.**

**Disclamer: I do not own Glee or its characters. **

* * *

Chapter 5: **First Impressions.**

Nervousness wasn't something that Sam had a problem with. He was mostly confident his whole life. He would say he inherited that from his grandfather who was a war hero. His papa was his favorite person in the whole world and up until the day that he died Sam valued every word that he had ever spoken. He would always tell Sam that no matter what you always treat a lady with the utmost respect. Never let a good one go, never let her know how nervous she makes you, and his favorite one was if she doesn't become your biggest weakness than son, she isn't the one for you. For years he didn't quite understand that last one. It just didn't make sense to him, however after meeting Mercedes Jones, he was beginning to fully understand just what his grandfather meant.

She made him more nervous than anything ever. He had barely spoken or held decent conversations with her and already she was a part of his world. She was the last thing that he thought of before he went to sleep and the first thing he thought of when he would awake. He especially had been thinking about her a lot more lately knowing that he would actually get to see and talk to her at his art show. He wasn't quite sure what the meaning of her coming to his art show was but one thing he did know it was NOT a date. All week he has had to repeat that phrase a hundred times a day that it was just her being nice and showing up to his show. She would probably bring her boyfriend along, and then that would definitely mean it wasn't a date. Sam wanted so badly for it to be one, but he decided not to make a fool of himself and just see if she was even going to show up.

The week since he had last seen her had flown past and the big show was tonight. Sam knew he should be focusing on doing his best sell job to try and get some of his work sold but he couldn't help but think about what he would do if she just so happened to show up.

"Okay, that is like the twentieth time you have glanced towards the door. I'm sure she will show, but if you keep watching the door like a hawk then I will have to pinch you." Quinn scolded Sam.

"I'm really trying hard not to, but the anticipation is killing me. What if she doesn't show?" Sam asked worried. "What if she changed her mind or worse she brings her boyfriend?"

"Stop worrying I am sure she will show, besides Tina text me about fifteen minutes ago and said they were on the way." Quinn assured him. "Now I know you won't be able to focus once she gets here, so from this second forward till a little after she arrives, I don't want you to do anything but meet and greet and sell your work. Honestly, I thought you would be more worried about her seeing how you have portrayed her in most of your work than if she would show up."

A new wave of panic washed over Sam as he was reminded that most of his work did have a hint of her in it. Some of it was obvious while others were a bit subtle. He didn't want her to think that he was some sort of crazy stalker that had hundreds of photographs of her hanging in a shrine somewhere in a dark room with a lot with candles. Quinn seemed to notice the fear in her bestie and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, it will be fine. Your work is amazing and she will love it. No take that butt of yours out there and sell, sell, sell!" She said giving him a pat to the butt.

"A butt tap, Quinn, really? Don't do that." Sam scoffed and tried to make his way through the crowd to sell some of his work. Quinn was right his main focus at the moment was trying to get some pieces sold, and he was going to try and do his damn best to stay focus.

* * *

Six times. That was the number of times Mercedes changed her outfit before finally picking out the first one she had tried on. It wasn't her choice to wear it but after Kurt and Blaine ambushed her while she was getting ready she was practically forced into her dress tonight. She wasn't a big dress person unless she was performing, but when she had planned a spa day for her and the two boyfriends, Kurt coerced her into buying three. She thought it would be just a simple day for her to tell them about her breakup with Noah and how nervous she was about going to Sam's show. However, they weren't even ten minutes into their spa day when Kurt started in on her with the questions.

_OOOOO_

_"So what's wrong?" Kurt asked as they were sitting down to facials._

_"Why does something have to be wrong?" Mercedes countered. "Can't I spend the day with my best friends?"_

_"Yes, but you drove, for one, for two you actually volunteered to pick us up, and thirdly this was your idea."_

_"So..."_

_"So? So, I know your butt and you hate driving that car, you don't like spa days, and we always meet you whenever we go out so you can leave whenever you get tired of me dragging you around town."_

_"That's not true." Kurt gave her a look and she knew he wasn't buying what she was selling. "Okay, fine, I broke up with Noah."_

_"Hallelujah, praise goddess, thank you sweet baby Jesus!" Kurt shouted as he clapped his hands and raised the roof._

_"Kurt!" Mercedes hissed at him. "People are staring!"_

_"What? Girl hush, I can celebrate, it seems like my prayers have not gone unheard."_

_"Amen!" Blaine added. "It's about time. What brought this on?"_

_Mercedes explained to them the whole Sam situation and told them about what happened at the night club the other night. Both of them cursed for not being there to witness the encounter between Mercedes and Sam. They did give Mercedes props for ending things with Noah before she did something that she knew she would later on regret. When she told them about her going to his show, of course they wanted to know what she had planned on wearing and when she replied a pants suit, Kurt almost passed out right there in the salon. After they were done getting the full treatment he snatched her keys and drove them to the mall in search of the right outfit for tonight. Mercedes tried her best to argue but Kurt was very persistent and all but threatened her to pull out the forbidden credit card he knew was in her wallet that she dared not to touch or talk about. _

_OOOOO_

In the end Mercedes was glad that Kurt was such a pain in the butt because when she arrived with Tina to Sam's show she saw just how appreciative he was for how she dressed. The way he looked her over gave her butterflies. He gazed was so intense that she had to shyly look down to keep him from making her blush. She didn't approach or bother him, when she first got there, instead she let him mingle and talk to other guest while she decided to walk around and see his work. Tina left Mercedes as soon as they made it in search of Quinn. She would have been upset but, she knew what it was like to just start off dating someone you were really into.

The way everything was set up, was amazing. It was like a small maze but one that was easy to make your way through. Mercedes started at the beginning and began to work her way around the gallery. The gallery was filled with a mixture of paintings, drawings, and photographs. She took her time patiently studying each piece of his work. Each piece was beautiful to her in its own way. She didn't want to seem conceded at all, but she couldn't help but think about five of his paintings and drawings were of her or had pieces of her inside them. The first three she was more than certain were her and she smiled as big as day when she saw them. By the time she made her way to the fifth one she was beginning to feel a bit insecure. Sam had made her so much beautiful in his work than how she thought she actually looked. He was quite artistic and even though she had only seen about 12 pieces so far, she was blown away. She had always planned on buying a piece from his show tonight just to show some support and she had planned to hang it up in her living room or guest room. She still had over half the place to go around but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw it. It was the one. The one she as completely sure that she was going to buy, without taking another peek or glance at any of the other pieces. It was a colorful sketch of her kneeling down and touching noses with Butterscotch. It was almost an exact replica of the second time she saw him, the day in the park, right down to the headphones and high ponytail she had. She laughed as the memory of that day, and Butterscotch's impatience came rushing back to her.

"See something you like?" She heard a voice whisper in her ear from behind her. She knew it was him. She tried not to shiver from the feel of his lips touching the shell of her ear. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath before she turned slightly towards him.

"Yes, all of it. You are extremely talented, Sam," she answered. "Although I think this one might be my favorite."

"It's one of my favorites too," Sam admitted. "I'm not some sort of creeper who has like a thousand photos of you in a shrine somewhere." Sam didn't know why but he felt the need to blurt this out at that moment. "It's just when I first met you, you were all I could seem to paint or draw."

"That's good to know, but I must admit I am a tad bit disappointed."

"Why is that?" Sam asked nervously.

"It would have been nice to be shrine worthy." Mercedes joked. "Plus it looks like you are cleaning house, I have been missing out on a muse fee."

Sam had a seriously concerned look on his face and Mercedes could tell he was extra nervous. She reached out and rubbed his arm smoothly to try and calm him. "I love that I was able to give you some inspiration. Don't even get me started on how beautiful you make me feel."

Sam let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He had no idea what she was about to say but was relieved when she seem to be completely okay with him using her as a muse. "I make you feel beautiful, how so?" Sam asked curious.

"Umm...the way you draw and paint me. It's like I am looking at myself in a whole different way. I know I don't look as good in real life as I do in your work."

"Nonsense. You are that beautiful because the way you look in my work is the way I see you. When I close my eyes and picture you, or when we would run into each other this is how I see you." Sam confessed. "This," he said pointing to the sketch of her and Butterscotch, "is just what I saw of you that day."

Mercedes suddenly became the nervous one as her breath hitched at Sam admission. She had never had a man tell her she was beautiful in the way that he was now, not even Kevin and he had a way with words.

"When you put it that way..." she smiled, "I should feel as if I am the most beautiful girl in the world."

And to Sam she was. Far more beautiful than any other girl he had ever dated including Amber, and he thought no one could come close to her. "You should, because to me, you are. How about I show you around the rest of the show?" She shook her head yes, unsure of what would come out. He was such a charming man to her and she didn't trust herself not to blurt out something stupid and embarrass herself.

The two of them slowly began their way around the art gallery. They would stop and take a few seconds to look at each piece. Sam was patient with her, answering any question she may have had about a particular piece. Some of his work had bright colors and were very light and vibrant while others were dark and mysterious, gloomy even. He explained that some of the darker pieces were about lost and false hope. He admitted to her that it was a short period not too long ago where he had fallen into a slump over a bunch of bad incidents that had occurred in his life at once. He said he wasn't that person any longer because of his friends especially Quinn not letting him beat himself up over little things. Her stomach felt like it was doing flips as she watched him described exactly how he envisions his work. He was passionate about his art and she could tell that he wouldn't want to do anything but this. Often she would have to stop herself from getting lost in his eyes or staring too hard at his lips when he spoke or when they would curve up into a heart melting smile. The butterflies were out in full affect tonight and even deep calculated breaths couldn't stop them from fluttering as they made their way to each piece. The last one they came up on was a sketch. It was completely black and white except for a human heart being squeezed by a fist in full color smack dab in the middle. The background was filled with the lines of a hospital heart monitor from flat line all the way to full life. Mercedes first thought it was about a love lost or heart break, but she wasn't sure so she asked Sam to tell her the actual reason behind it. He had a sort of pained expression on his face but he turned and smiled at her saying nothing really he just felt like drawing it and then coaxed her along. Mercedes could sense that he wasn't being truthful but she didn't want to seem like a pusher so she decided to drop it for now.

The rest of the night the pair spent getting to know one another a little better. Sam learn of Mercedes many jobs and she learned that Sam also had a job painting and doing artwork for many businesses and apartment complexes around the state of New York. She found out that Sam is originally from Nashville but graduated from a high school in Lima Ohio, where he met Quinn. Mercedes told him she was born and raised right here in New York, and that she graduated from Columbia. Sam informed her that he decided to forgo college since he had no plans on being anything but an artist but ended up taking night courses to get a small business degree. Sam was pleased when he asked her why she didn't bring Puck along with her and she said because they had recently broken up. He tried his best not to seem too thrilled by it but failed.

They were really enjoying each others company and after the last couple of people made their purchases and the show began to die down, Sam and Mercedes noticed that both of their rides were nowhere to be found.

"Okay, so I guess I am walking home tonight." Mercedes said when Tina returned her text asking where she was, that she and Quinn had left early.

"No you're not," Sam said jingling a set of car keys. "Quinn hates driving so when we go places together she always makes me drive. Just give me a few minutes to lock up and I will take you home."

"You really don't have to, I don't want you to go out of your way."

"No, it's fine really. Besides, it's night and we live in New York. There is no telling what kind of bad guys are out there right now waiting to snatch a pretty little thing like you up."

"I can take care of myself; my brother taught me how to throw a pretty mean left hook."

"Yeah, but wouldn't you rather have a big strong man protecting you instead?"

"A big, strong, man huh? Where is this guy you speak of cause I don't see anyone like that around?" She joked.

"Ugh, just kick me right in the chest why don't you." Sam whined holding his chest. "That hurt."

Mercedes couldn't hold in her laugh any longer. She threw her head back and her laughter filled the gallery. Sam joined in as well.

"I'm sorry but you left that wide open. I had to take it." Mercedes said once she calmed down.

"I guess I did."

Sam finished turning off the lights and grabbed Mercedes painting. She offered to pay for it but Sam refused to take her money. What he didn't know was when Sam was busy with another customer she purchased it anyway from Quinn.

Mercedes called out instructions to her apartment complex as Sam began to drive. They spent the ride talking about how successful of a showing Sam had and making plans to get together again soon. When Sam pulled up in front of her place, neither made a move or said a word. Mercedes wasn't ready to say goodbye yet and neither was Sam.

"Thanks for coming tonight Mercedes." Sam spoke up first.

"Thanks for inviting me, and for the sketch." Mercedes replied. Another fit of silence washed over the car before Mercedes finally broke it. "You want something to drink? I have coffee, tea, juice?"

"Yes!" Sam answered quickly.

Inside, Sam took in her place. It was kind of plain but it felt homely at the same time. Butterscotch was at the door and ready when she opened it. He barked at Sam but when Mercedes patted him lightly on the head and said it was ok he settled down.

"I'm sorry I have to take him out to use the bathroom or he will show out."

"It's ok I'll go with you."

After taking Butterscotch out for his nightly walk, Mercedes offered Sam that drink. He ended up settling on a bottle of apple juice while she had tea. The two relaxed on her sofa and talked while the TV played quietly in the background.

"So I wanted to ask you why I didn't see your male friends at the show." Mercedes questioned. "The ones I saw you with a couple of times."

"Oh, Finn and Mike. I didn't invite them." Sam answered.

"Why not?"

"Well, I knew you were coming and I just didn't want to make a bad impression. Those two are kind of bad when it comes to meeting girls. Especially girls I like. They would have been bothersome. It was bad enough Quinn was there but she had Tina to distract her."

"They would have been that bad?"

"Worse, think about it, if you were just getting to know a guy and it was your first time actually being able to spend time with them would you bring your two best friends to tag along?"

Mercedes contemplated her answer for a second as she thought of Kurt and Blaine. Blaine would have commented on every little thing that she and Sam did and Kurt would grill him with a million and one questions. "Come to think of it, no. I wouldn't have brought them along with me, tonight. Not on our first date, maybe after our fourth or fifth, sixth or seventh. I would have to kill Kurt." Mercedes admitted and she realized she slipped up and call this a date and prayed that Sam didn't catch that.

"So this was our first date?" Sam pondered after hearing her say it.

"I...I...I didn't mean..." She stammered slightly embarrassed.

"It's probably the best first date I have had since I moved to New York."

"Really?" Mercedes smiled.

"Yeah, really. Tonight would have been a bit boring, just walking around trying to pump myself up and sell my work but you being there made it way more fun. I am glad you were so entertaining."

"So am I." She smiled, and was happy to admit that this was the most fun she had had in a very long time. Sam ended up staying for another two hours as they spent the rest of the night talking and laughing at dumb late night infomercials. Once he left around 1am, but not before exchanging numbers first, Mercedes stared at the sketch he drew and couldn't stop smiling. She decided to hang it up in her bedroom right above her dresser on the left side of her bed, that way when she would wake up in the morning it would be one of the first things she would see.

Sam had a smile on his face the whole ride home. Spending just those few hours with Mercedes tonight had him elated. He thought things were bad when he would just see her around town after they first met but now he that he could actually spend time with her with no boyfriend in the way he knew he was going to fall deep for this girl. She was so different from all of the rest, his problem was he didn't want things to end up like all of his previous relationships and he was going to try his best to make sure that didn't happen.

* * *

**AN: So that was chapter five. I hoped you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think about it in a review. Plus what do you think that last drawing was about. I am intrigued to know what you think. Till next time-tdminor86.**

**Next Chapter: Sam and Mercedes lay it all out on the table. A Quinntina and Samcedes awkward double date.**


	6. Ambushed

**AN: Thanks to all of the favorites, follows, and reviews I received last chapter. Sorry it's been do long since I updated. Real life, role playing, and a bout of writers block got in the way. Thanks to my beta Rose for being amazing and making sure I have readable chapters. Here's chapter five, I hope you enjoy it and please don't forget to review. It is my motivation since there is no samcedes on the show.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 6: **Ambushed.**

_Complete lies. That's what you are telling._

I am NOT. She was stuttering just like the champ off of Harlem Nights. I have been dying laughing for twenty minutes.

Mercedes pressed send on her phone and placed it back on her desk. She had been texting Sam for about an half hour now. She had to talk to someone because just as Harmony had walked out of Will's office with her blouse buttoned up wrong, his wife walked in the front door. The two women almost ran into each other and when Mrs. Schuester questioned the young girl about her messed up blouse, Harmony turned as red as tomato and begin to fumble over her words like she was a murder victim on the witness stand. Mercedes sat back in her chair and watched as Terri Schuester laid into Harmony about proper work attire especially around a married man. To make matters worse Will's cowards ass pretend like he was on a very important call and didn't even bother to help his lover. By the time she was through laying into her, Harmony was in tears. Mercedes would have felt bad but Harmony had it coming. She warned her that eventually her dirt was going to catch up to her but she called Mercedes a nosy wench and told her to mind her business. Mercedes phone vibrated and she picked it up and laughed loudly, earning a glare from a still red and puffy eyed Harmony.

"Should have listened to me," Mercedes sing song towards Harmony's direction. "Just think if she had arrived five minutes earlier, that would have been one hell of a sticky situation."

Harmony didn't respond, instead she gasped at the realization of what exactly Mercedes' words meant. Mercedes shook her head as Will and Terri exited his office all hugged up. Harmony made sure to keep her head down and Will shot her a quick sympathetic look. He was an slimy asshole plain and simple, and if he wasn't her boss Mercedes would have slapped his greasy haired ass sideways. She couldn't stand Harmony sometimes, Her phone vibrating on her dresser broke her out of her murderous thoughts.

_You're silly. Wanna meet for lunch?_

Sure? I actually have a light load today. When & Where?

_Your office. 2 mins._

Where R U ?

_Outside. Gathering up the food I bought. CU soon._

Oh. Okay. You just knew I was free huh?

_Yep. U always have time for me. :)_

RME. Hurry up, crazy boy.

Mercedes couldn't help the huge smile that spread across her face when she saw Sam enter the building. He went all out, he was carrying four different bags of takeout including one wedged between his teeth. This was just like him, always finding ways to go out of his way to do something special for her. It had been exactly six weeks to the day that she and Sam had become official. Six weeks of what could arguably be the best times of Mercedes life. She never knew what would come out of her relationship with Sam, but to say that her life would do a complete 180 was never thought of. The two of them spent the last six weeks getting to know the person behind the mystery. Mercedes found out that Sam was more than just an independent artist, but that he does book covers as well. He also sells some of his work to a lot of businesses to hang in their companies. Sam found out more about Mercedes many little odd jobs and unlike previous men, he didn't run when he learned of her busy and hectic life. He actually embraced it, even helping her out with her volunteering. Mercedes shot them both when she was the one to ask Sam to be her boyfriend officially. It wasn't planned and there was no big grand gesture. A simple 'you want to be my boyfriend?' came flying out her mouth when they were spending the day doing laundry. Sam looked up at her from where he was, bent to scoop up a load of clothes and gave her a confused look. His look made her instantly regret her move to be bold. However, when he spoke a few moments later stating ' I kind of thought I already was.' , Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief. The couple shared their first kiss after one week of the none date at the art gallery. Sam was so nerves that he missed her lips entirely the first time, and gave the side of their nose a wet smooch. Mercedes laughed it off and told him to try again only this time she made sure his lips hit his target. They had there first argument three weeks in and sam found out that she bought a painting behind his back. At first he was annoyed at her, but when he showed up at her door step to return the check she had written and she refused, things got heated. Sam ripped the check up into a bunch of tiny pieces and shoved it into his large mouth and told her ' argument over!'

That was also the first time Sam and Mercedes did something more then a few hot and heavy kisses that led to them both going home hornier than hell. Sam had been wanting to taste Mercedes for a while now and when he finally got the chance, it was something he knew he could never NOT do again. Mercedes was so close to saying 'fuck it', and throwing her 90 day rule out the window that night, because Sam did things to her body that no man had done before. He made her feel loved, adored, beautiful, sexy, hot, cold, worshipped, and something she never felt, free. She couldn't describe it with any words in the dictionary and honestly it both scared her and made her never want to lose it.

These impromptu lunches were a frequent thing for the two of them. Sue had a huge case coming up and she refused to let Harmony anywhere near it, so Mercedes had to work a lot lately. She hadn't had a lunch outside that office in a week and Sam had no problem coming to her. He was so understanding and willing to work around her schedule so they wouldn't have to go a day without seeing each other and today was no exception. Mercedes found her self taking pity on a still upset and crying Harmony and invited her over to share lunch with them since they had so much food. She gave them both a sad smile and a weak thank you but Mercedes could tell she was grateful.

"I'm not going to tell you how to live your life," Mercedes began speaking to Harmony, "but fooling around with your boss, especially your married boss can never end well."

Harmony didn't speak; she just nodded her head in understanding and accepted the sandwich Sam handed to her.

* * *

A week later Mercedes was having the worse type of day. She lost her opening spot at the club to some chick named Sunshine who Artie was completely infatuated by. She could tell that he only gave it to her because of this and that annoyed her more than anything. Sue was on the warpath at work because for the first time in her 20 year career she was actually losing a trial. She threw a chair through her own office window and screamed at Harmony to get someone down there to fix it before she was fired. She had a temper and was a bit crazy but she knew not to come to Mercedes with that mess. One she was far too damn good at her job and two, Mercedes gave back just as good as Sue did.

Even with her spot being taken and a crazy mad Sue on the loose, it still wasn't the worse thing to happen to her this week. She was actually happy for the first time on Wednesday. She and Sam had a date that night and he took her to see her favorite off Broadway play. They were back at her apartment, walking hand in hand, and laughing at a corny joke Sam had made. She could feel something was wrong but ignored it as she pushed her key inside her door and opened it making her way into her apartment. She flipped the lights on and damn neared pissed her pants when she spotted not only Blaine, but a not so pleased looking Kurt waiting inside her apartment. His legs were crossed and his arms were folded and the strap to his Prada bag was tuck on the inside of his elbow and resting gently in his lap. She wondered to herself how come Butterscotch did not bark or warned her and she glanced in the corner and got her answer. The little traitor was laying cozy in the corner with a huge fluffy new toy guaranteed no doubt from his uncles.

"Kuuuurt!" She said with far more excitement then needed. "Blaiinnnneee!" She opened her arms for a hug and Blaine smiled and was about to return it till Kurt cleared his throat and Blaine's arms dropped and his smile disappeared.

"Mercedes." Kurt said curtly. He cut his eyes behind her to Sam who had wrapped a protective arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. At that moment his arm felt like a hot iron, scorching her because she knew from the looks the two boyfriends were giving her exactly why they were here. "Who is your friend?" Kurt asked not removing eye contact.

"I'm her boyfriend who are you?" Sam said defensively. "Why the hell are you in her apartment?" The hold he had on Mercedes tighten and she could tell he was pissed. She turned in his arms and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Babe, look at me." She willed him and he removed the glare he had on Kurt and focused on her. "That's Kurt and Blaine. You know, my two best friends." It took Sam a second to register what she was saying but finally it clicked and she could see when he figured out what was going on.

Mercedes had told her that her best friends weren't very happy with her for not introducing him to them yet but she told him it was for his own good so he didn't question it. He released the death like grip he had on her and walked over to where Blaine was standing. He held his hand out and Blaine shook it.

"You must be Blaine?" Sam said as he greeted him. "Sam, Sam Evans. Nice to meet you." He then walked around the couch to where Kurt was still sitting and extended his hand and offered him the same greeting. Unlike Blaine, Kurt keep his arm folded which made Sam laugh and Mercedes annoyed as hell.

"Kurt." Mercedes said with a warning and the two of them exchange challenging glares. It was like they had a mini conversation using their eyes only and after about a minute of this silent battle, Kurt finally untucked his arms and shook Sam's.

"Kurt Hummel." He spoke to Sam. "Let's have a little talk shall we. He patted the seat next to him for Sam to sit and quickly folded his arms back.

Sam looked towards Mercedes before he set and she mouthed 'sorry' to him and shook her head. Once Sam was seated Blaine came and stood behind him rest on the arm of the couch.

"Who's thirsty?" Mercedes asked and flew in the kitchen. She knew there was no way out of this. Kurt was going to grill the hell out of Sam but maybe he would go easy on him if she drop a sedative or four in his drink. She was going to kill Kurt for ambushing her like this. Sure, she had kept Sam hidden but she had good reasons, Sam was special. All of her other previous boyfriends met Kurt within two weeks of her dating them and got the 'Klaine treatment' as she liked to call it, but she didn't want Sam to go through that. Why, she couldn't exactly pinpoint. But if she was being honest, she saw the flaws in her choice of men after Kurt got through with his questioning and maybe a part of her avoided this to keep from seeing any in Sam. She hurriedly grabbed four bottles of water and went back into the living room where she saw Blaine pull a folded piece of paper from his pants pocket and hand to Kurt.

"Okay Sam, lets be real," Kurt began, "What are your intentions with our Mercy?"

"Intentions?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah, what kind of relationship do you see the two of you having?"

"A long lasting healthy one. I see us dating for about three years." Mercedes felt a bit sad to hear him say they would only date for three years. She saw a future with Sam and it kinda stung to hear he didn't feel the same way. "Then after that I propose and we plan this huge wedding to make moms and families happy only toward we eloped and got married a year ago and this is just a ceremony for them." He finished giving her a wink that made a smile spread across her face and blush reach her cheeks.

"Hmm..." Kurt said tapping his finger on his chin. "Cute answer, but Mercedes doesn't need cute."

"Kurt," Mercedes said only to receive a 'shhh' from Kurt.

"She needs someone who can make sure she doesn't work herself to the bone, she needs someone who is going to be tough and defend her honor. Can you fight? You have muscle but can you use them?"

"I think I do a pretty decent job of keeping her occupied and not so tied up in work. I have only been in one fight in my life, which I won. It was in the sixth grade. One of the bullies pushed the girl I liked into the sand."

"What if she cancels lunch on you which she often does? You gonna get mad and start chasing after loose women?"

"No, that's stupid. Besides if she is super busy I could always bring lunch to her."

"How much money do you make selling those little paintings?" Kurt asked.

"Sam you don't have to answer that." Mercedes butted in, but this time it was Sam who shushed her.

"Enough. I do more than just hold galleries and shows. I do paintings for buildings and other businesses, plus I do cover art for books published at Hart's publishing. That's where my real money comes from."

"You do the cover art for the Last Chance For Love series?" Blaine asked with a dreamy expression on his face.

"Yes." Sam nodded.

"Well I'm sold." He said throwing his hands in the air. "He pulled a book from his own satchel and handed it to Sam. "Could you sign this? Book three is my absolute favorite." He gushed.

Kurt watched as his boyfriend fawned over Sam. Just because he just so happen to do the artwork for his favorite series doesn't mean he was out of the blue. He could throw so beautifully drawn photos at Blaine and win him over all he wanted to. Kurt was not impressed. He cleared his throat loudly as Blaine was beginning to move into what he felt the art work for book four meant.

"I believe we were talking," Kurt said a bit annoyed. He shot Blaine a look that let him know to hush up, which Blaine quickly gather his book and retook his place on the arm of the sofa behind Kurt.

"Ever been arrested?"

"No."

"Male stripper?"

"No."

"How many girls have you dated?"

"Six."

"That's a lot for someone so young. Commitment issues?"

"Yes, the girls never seem to want to stick around."

"So it's you, what is about you that makes girls run?"

"I always fall for girls that are unattainable," he answered honestly. "I fell for Mercedes while she was with that Puck guy."

"Interesting," Kurt said.

"I didn't know that." Mercedes said from her corner.

"You never asked so I said nothing." Sam responded.

"Next question. If Puck came in here right now and told Mercedes he wanted her back would you fight him for her?"

"No, because I wouldn't have to." All three of them gave him a side eye for that response. "Mercedes knows I'm the better choice. I'm not saying that to be cocky or anything but, mainly because she said so herself. She told me I have the ability to make her do things she wouldn't normally do, and she thought it would frighten her but surprisingly she loves it. She sees me as what her life has been missing out on, as I do her. While Puck is more than likely a reminder of what life is like when you only wish for things and not do."

"Well damn," Kurt was taken aback. Three more questions. "You have a problem with Blaine and I being gay?"

"Are you crazy? My best friend Sebastian is gay, I introduced him to his husband Dave. I got ordained on the internet and perform the wedding myself."

"Really?" That impressed Kurt.

"Yeah, I have a picture of them in my apartment."

"How many nieces and nephews are you willing to give me?"

"I've always wanted about three or four kids, but ultimately it's going to be up to Mercedes because she's the one who's going to have to go through labor."

"Mercedes will be fine, three kids is my ideal for her, but a a fourth one wouldn't hurt."

"I'm glad that you two are talking about me like I'm not here, planning my future, my wedding, and how many kids you guys think I'm going to have." Mercedes said folding her arms across her chest.

"Girl, hush don't you see me and this nice young man are having a lovely conversation?" Kurt fussed. "Greatest Michael Jackson song of all time?"

"Sorry babe." Sam gave her a sympathetic smile and she shook her head. Sam had passed. She knew he was really into Kurt's good graces when he asked the MJ question, most of her exes he didn't deem worthy of the MJ question. But Sam had been.

"It's a tie, between Wannbe Startin' Somethin', and Who Is It." Sam replied. "Everyone always says Thriller or Billie Jean, but those two are my favorite."

"Exactly! Mercedes, Blaine, and I are Michael Jackson fanatics and Thriller is a classic but it's everyone's favorite. I for one love Lady In My Life, but the fact that you didn't say one of those two is alright with me."

"Have you seen the immortal tour?" Sam wondered as he and Kurt began to gossip like two school girls.

"Are you kidding me?!" Blaine and Kurt both exclaimed. "Only like five times!"

Mercedes was happy. She didn't know why she was so nervous about Sam meeting Kurt and Blaine. He had been such a breath of fresh air for her and now that she thought of it her hesitation was silly. Sam had the charm of 100 men and just like he charmed his way into Kurt's good graces, he was charming his way into her heart and that was something she wasn't expecting to happen so soon.

* * *

**AN: I know I said there will be a Samcedes and Quinntina double date, but they weren't quite ready for that yet, meaning I wasn't quite ready and Kurt was being bossy and decided he wanted to be meet Sam, so there you go. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and the updates should come sooner now that I am back in the flow of things. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think and check out the new fic I am doing with a friend of mine. It's a Sikecedes version of the movie Savages. **


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